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Monte Alban
Monte Alban is a pre-Columbian archeological site that is located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Earth. It is located on a low mountainous range that give it a view over the Valley of Oaxaca. The city of Santa Cruz (formerly Oaxaca City) is located approximately 9 kilometers to the East. Monte Alban used to be the site of one of the earliest examples of Mesoamerican civilization around 500 BCE. It had significance for a while before it was abandoned some time around 500-700 CE. In the 20th Century, Monte Alban was designated a historical site and would be preserved for future historians and curious tourists. During the Human-Covenant War, it was a location where scattered UNSC forces held a command center for their operations in Mexico. Later in the 33rd Century, it would survive to become a site for where the Master Emerald was to be held for about a year. In June of 3235, Monte Alban was attacked by Robotnik's forces, who were able to breach the pyramid, though were unable to get the Emerald, which was whisked away before they could get their hands on it. Monte Alban was no longer used for the purpose of protecting the Emerald. It was shifted to other locations afterwards with new Guardians. Description Although Monte Alban was described as a Mesoamerican city, the main significance of the site was its pyramids. In 3234, after Mobius was deemed unsafe to hold the Master Emerald, both sides determined that a spot on Earth would have the best chance of being undiscovered. The location of the pyramid of Monte Alban was chosen. Using the hollow and unused interiors of one of the main buildings, the Master Emerald was held with sophisticated security devices. The site was rather large though, allowing the occupants to have some degree of freedom though the number of guards was extremely small. The site was equipped with multiple barriers to discourage the curious and those who would want to take the Emeralds. Barriers, fences, and perimeter sensors would keep many out. In case of a perimeter breach, mounted turrets would be trained on attackers. If any attackers managed to breach the pyramid's area, more automated defenses would spring to life in the pyramid. There was only one sure permanent occupant of the site, and that was Knuckles the Echidna, who watched the Master Emerald day and night according to his role as a Guardian. There were others that stayed on site to watch the pyramid, depending on whether or not the occupants needed to go on a mission. Also, regular shuttles came in to check up on the occupants and ensure that they were fully stocked. Behind the Scenes Originally, the Master Emerald was only to be held in a generic Mexican pyramid that I had not put a name to. In the first story, Shadow in the Dark, I hadn't established how the Emerald got there, and what it was doing there. However, as the series started to mature and the facts became more concrete, I looked for a much more realistic name, and eventually settled on Monte Alban, which had a nice large area and a nice location as well. Naturally the greenery changed in the last thousand years thanks to Global Warming and whatnot, and a much more lush jungle appears around the site. Somehow I was able to connect this site as well to the actual Halo series. Before the reveal of the Halo 4 map Ragnarok, which was a recreation of Halo 3's Valhalla, 343 Industries gave many people a clue about the map's setting. One clue was 'Carta de Oaxaca', which was a Mexican restaurant in Seattle Washington. After doing a bit of searching on the site forums, some people referenced a picture of none other than Monte Alban. This was well after I had use the location as the site for the Master Emerald, creating a funny coincidence. Appearances *Soldier's Log (First Named) *Shadow in the Dark (First Appearance) *Journal of Sally Acorn Category:Earth Category:Locations